I think the post offers an intersting perspective — namely, that science fiction "has to" die eventually, just because the things that make up science fiction today will eventually be the reality, and therefore will be merely fiction, and not science fiction.
I understand the logic, but I have to say there seems to be a flaw there somewhere. I think it is in the fact that this view seems to mean that science will fail to find new horizons to conquer. For me, I think that this is not at all the case. When interstellar travel is a reality, does that mean there are no more amazing possiblities to be explored? Surely not. Surely there are still areas of science to be explored, manipulated, and dreamed over. These, I would say, are the things science fiction is made of. While space travel may form the bulk of material for science fiction today, it becoming a reality doesn't negate the possibility for science fiction. It merely changes its face.
The post argues that this change in the landscape of the genre would amount to it becoming a different animal altogether. I would agree with that, if it were a discussion about "the space novel" rather than an arguement about science fiction. Can't 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, for instance, also be classified as science fiction, even though it isn't about space travel? That there tells us that science fiction is about more than just life amongst the stars.
I don't know what will provide new material for the science fiction novel of the future. But I do think there is room for its continuation of the genre, even if space travel becomes the norm, just as the airplane hasn't negated myths in the mold of Icarus.
But I do certainly agree that the genre might morph in ways that today we can't imagine.
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2 comments:
Well thanks for the link :).
I will agree that science fiction will still exist, but I don't think it will be considered science fiction when, or rather if, we meet aliens, we have interstellar wars, and basically do all the things that SF is proposing could happen. 20,000 Leagues is very much SF, but I think it's a type of SF that will become 'fantasy' one day. SF is going to come to a point where all the things that have been proposed now will just look like fantasy, because, really, that's what they will become.
Maybe, and this is a big maybe, SF can survive time and will have places to go, but honestly, I see it as evolving into something else.
I just think the genre will change so drastically it won't be SF anymore. Most of it will simply because reality or fantasy, and some of it will be something else. Maybe you would have to call it 'SF-inal realism', like magic realism, only with SF elements. But who knows really *shrugs* We'll all be dead before that happens anyway. I really really doubt we're going to the stars in my lifetime :S.
I can agree with that, SMD. Makes sense. I don't have a clue what SF would look like once we've reached the stars and all. But I do think there's a natural curiosity, a natural urge that pushes us to know more. I just can't even imagine beyond the barriers that we meet today. But, perhaps you are right that it will be nothing other than fantasy then.
You've got an intersting blog there. Thanks for the prod to think about this topic.
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